Fearful of Sun Ce and his former ally Yuan Shu, Liu Yao sought to strengthen his hold over Eastern Wu by forming an alliance with Yan Baihu and Wang Lang. His battle with Sun Ce led to numerous casualties for both sides. But in the end, it was the Little Conqueror's army that won out due to inadequate military decisions made by Liu Yao. At the behest of Taishi Ci, the remnants of Liu Yao's army were then absorbed into Sun Ce's troops, thus enlarging the forces of what would be known as Wu.